Which DE is best?

[MrsBarefoot]

Hello everyone!

So it feels like every day I learn something new about chickens
I find myself doing research or just watching videos on YouTube about them lol

I recently ran into DE discussions. So I am wanting to get some for our coop. We have 6 pullets and 1 young rooster.
Are any of these good? Do you have other recommendations? What's the difference in them because I see the one from tractor supply has calcium?

Thank you in advance!

 

[DobieLover]

Neither. It's a waste of money.

 

[aart]

Neither. It's a waste of money.

Ditto Dat!!
And the RedLake probably mostly clay...if you read the fine print.

 

[drumstick diva]

Tried DE many years ago. IT was totally useless for anything. Won't fall for that ever again!!

 

[centrarchid]

This is a problem. DE is has reputation for treating a variety of ailments. Many of the those ailments, especially those associated with the chickens digestive tract, are not supported by scientific scrutiny as treatable with DE. Then we jump all over all usage of DE and say DE is useless.

The product listed does appear effective against adult flies so long as the product is kept dry. It may be effective against lice / mites although the mechanism I think at play has more in common with how simply dust particles work making so the external parasites have a hard time hanging on to the chicken.

 

[aart]

This is a problem.

Yep, one that will never go away....Bad Penny.

The product listed does appear effective against adult flies so long as the product is kept dry.

Which one?

 

[Punkybrewster]

Useless.
I fell for it years ago.
It did nothing.

 

[centrarchid]

@MrsBarefoot what are you trying to treat for?

 

[MrsBarefoot]

@MrsBarefoot what are you trying to treat for?

Thank you for your response!
Nothing in particular really. I heard it helps to kill mites and lice and that it's good to have it around coop and area where they dust at for a "just in case."

 

[JaeG]

It does not kill red mites. I had an awful outbreak of red mites (thanks to a visiting rat) and I found thousands quite happily crawling around in the thick bed of DE I'd put in the bottom of the nestboxes under the shavings. They were all very much alive - it was horrible.

Flowers of sulfur/elemental sulfur is much more effective as a deterrent. They have found it can be used to treat Northern Fowl Mite which in some areas is now resistant to permethrin treatments.